Ikea just introduced a "Smart Lighting" collection.

The range, which will arrive in UK stores in April, includes energy-efficient LED bulbs, as well as lighting panels and doors. These different products can be managed remotely via an app, called Tradfri, which Ikea said will let you completely personalise your home lighting setup. The Swedish retailer's Smart Lighting collection is part of its "Home Smart" initiative that aims to make expensive, smart home devices more affordable.

Ikea has described its new range, which starts at £15 for a kit with a steering device and an LED bulb, as a "plug-and-play solution", meaning that there is no need for hardwiring. You can simply switch your traditional lightbulb with a Tradfri LED bulb, for instance. Other pieces in the range include the £69 Tradfri gateway kit (includes two white spectra LED bulbs), £29 Tradfri dimming kit white spectrum, £25 Tradfri wireless motion kit sensor, and £90 LED light doors and panels. Again, all of these can be managed and customised via the Tradfri app for phones and tablets.

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The lights can be switched from warm to cold light using a remote control or the app, and you can group individual lamps together to create lighting moods. And sometime this autumn, Ikea said the Tradfri app will be updated with an “Away from Home” function that will allow you to set lights to timers or remotely turn lights on and off. If any of this interests you, check out Tradfri at IKEA's UK website.

Ikea is basically going after Philips Hue and other smart LED lamp products, but unlike Hue, this offering is much easier on the wallet. We plan to test them out soon and will let you know how they compare to similar products we've reviewed.